SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 ― Facebook's wireless, standalone virtual reality headset, the May 2019 Oculus Quest, has passed the 100-million mark in terms of dollar sales of games and apps.
We don't know how many Oculus Quest headsets have made it into consumers' hands (and nestled centimeters in front of their eyes), but we do know how well its software sales are doing.
Commemorating one year on the market for the hands-free, wireless VR headset, Facebook confirmed US$100 million (RM434.9 million) worth of sales through the device's app store.
However, it has not yet disclosed how many Quest headsets the company has shifted, a decision left open to interpretation.
PlayStation VR, for example, was approaching 1 million unit sales after its first five months (October 2016 to February 2017) and 2 million by the end of its first 14 months (early December 2017).
It debuted at US$399, now retailing for US$349 where available, but requires the use of a PlayStation 4 (US$299) or PlayStation 4 Pro (US$399) console. For comparison, the standalone Quest sells in US$399 and US$499 configurations.
On the other hand, PC gaming company Valve Software, well known for its Half-Life, Portal and Dota 2 games, notched 149,000 unit sales of the Valve Index between March 2019 and the close of the year.
Of that, year-end sales were boosted by two-thirds in response to the November announcement of Half-Life: Alyx.
Valve Index systems sell for between US$499 (headset only) and US$999 (headset, controllers, tracking stations).
As the Quest can be used with a computer thanks to its Oculus Link feature, March's Half-Life: Alyx is also being credited with driving Facebook's VR income over the first three months of the year.
Microsoft has been supporting its own Windows Mixed Reality platform through a portfolio of production partnerships.
Other manufacturers are able to design and create VR headsets to meet WMR standards and, as a result, offer a range of price points from US$279 upwards.
Like the Index, and not too dissimilar from the PSVR, they require a separate PC to power them, consequently pushing up the price of admission.
Google reported over 5 million shipments of its low-budget Cardboard VR viewer between June 2014 and January 2016. Users slot a compatible smartphone device into the Cardboard caddy. ― AFP-Relaxnews
